


Girl Bonding

by OccidensdeLuna



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aromantic, Aromantic Toph Beifong, Asexuality, Bisexual Suki (Avatar), Book 2: Earth, Developing Friendships, First Kiss, Fluff, One Shot, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25817728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OccidensdeLuna/pseuds/OccidensdeLuna
Summary: “Can… Can I kiss you?” Toph felt her cheeks burn from the request, and was happy that the warrior had said it was dark out lest she see how profusely she was blushing.“What?”  Suki was more surprised at the boldness of the other girl, having not expected the question.“Nevermind. That was a bad question. Ignore me, or better yet just push me off the side of the cliff-”
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Suki
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59





	Girl Bonding

**Author's Note:**

> After rewatching A:TLA, I really loved Toph and Suki's friendship so I wanted to write something a little funny and a little awkward, but overall very sweet. Enjoy~

“How did you train Sokka, when you two were on Kyoshi Island?”

“Why do you ask? Aang still giving you trouble?”

With Appa still missing, and the Gaang still stuck in Serpent’s Pass, it was rare for anyone to catch a moment of calmness. The two girls, Suki and Toph had been sent off to survey the next portion of trail - the Kyoshi warrior with her lightning quick reflexes and the Earthbender with her ability to sense vibrations in the ground and “see” if their was anybody else on the pass - while the rest of the Gaang set up camp. Having found nothing of interest for the next several turns, the girls sat near the edge of the sea cliff, overlooking the crystal blue ocean far below. 

“I’m guessing you’ve already had an earful from Katara about patience and the virtues of kindness, so I’ll spare you that lecture, but really it was all hinging on Sokka’s desire to learn. I wouldn’t have been able to teach him if he didn’t have an open mind or heart.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s great and all, but Twinkletoes already wants to learn. It’s a bit of a life or death situation so I don’t think now is the time for him to get picky on why or how he’s learning Earthbending.”

“Do you want to teach him?”

“What does that have anything to do with it?” Toph sneered, tossing the rock she had been rolling in her hands off the edge of the cliff and out into the ocean, the power behind it causing a tall splash to come shooting from the water.

“The teacher has to be just as willing as the student. When I was teaching Sokka, he didn’t begin to understand what the lessons were until I made the conscious decision to share the best of my knowledge with him. You wouldn’t have learned Earthbending nearly as good if the badgermoles didn’t want to teach you, right?”

“I guess…”

Suki tore her gaze from the water and looked down at the girl beside her. It was tricky to tell with her, not just what she was thinking or how she was feeling, but if she wanted to talk about it or not. When she was on Kyoshi Island, Suki considered herself to be a big sister to the other warriors, and prided herself on being able to tell if something was wrong just by the look in her eyes. She spent countless nights talking to the girls by the fire, comforting them on their romantic troubles or giving them advice on how to balance out the mind of a warrior and the heart of a girl. Suki knew that Toph never had a role model like that, especially growing up when she was treated like porcelain - fragile and weak - and that the blind girl had very little concept of what it was like to be able to embrace the feminine energies in her, rather than abhorring them as she did now. 

“Ask me anything,” Suki stated, deciding that now was just as good of a time as ever to step up to attempt to guide the other girl into accepting the shunned parts of herself, “It doesn’t have to be about training, I just want you to know that I am an open book to you.”

“Are you doing that thing Katara did when she tried to heal all my past “Mommy Issues” and lectured me on how to be responsible, because I’d rather skip that part of our friendship with you and just move onto accepting each other’s differences.”

“No, not that, though believe me I had to sit through that same “fun and eye opening chat” too. I mean, like, do you have any questions you’ve always wanted to ask but were afraid someone would judge you for them?”

“I don’t know, hon, I’m not really into the whole asking advice thing. I normally just blindly feel my way through things. Ha, get it? The  _ blind  _ girl feels her way through things.”

“Yeah, no, I got it. Ha ha…” Suki trailed off, staring glumly at the little stones at their feet.

“You really want me to open up to you, huh?” Toph glanced over in the direction of the other girl, and sighed, “Fiiiine, I’ll ask something. Just one question, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“Really? Please, anything. There are no bad questions with Sifu Suki.”

“Nevermind, I have two questions. First, will you please never call yourself ‘Sifu Suki’ in my presence again? And second…” Toph bit her lip and tilted her head down, so that the thick curtain of fringe she had covered her face, “Am I pretty? Not like I care about that kind of thing, but I’ve always been curious. I was thinking of asking Katara a while ago, but I felt like she would feel bad for me and opt with flattery then honesty.”

Suki was quiet for a long while, contemplating how to put it into words that the younger girl would understand. Beauty, while of course being a subjective thing, was something that was proving tricky to describe to someone who couldn’t see. A strong breeze rushed through the girls and blew Toph’s hair up from her face for a moment, becoming one of the few chances the warrior had to get a really good glimpse of her face. Suki smiled, lifting her hand up and brushing the bangs from the other girl’s eyes before she got a chance to do it herself.

“What would you describe as beautiful?” Suki asked, hand falling back to her lap.

“Hm? Well… I believe there’s beauty in strength and in determination. Courage is beautiful. Intelligence, a sense of self, kindness… I view traits as a thing of beauty, rather than physical attributes.”

“I see… So you would consider someone more “beautiful” if they had a good heart over someone who didn’t?”

“Exactly. Personalities are beautiful. Everyone is different, and they change over time. Someone can start off as a selfish, cruel, heartless person and grow into someone much more giving and loving. That, in and of itself, is beautiful.”

“Then you, Toph, are breathtakingly stunning,” Suki beamed as she spoke, finding she couldn’t take her eyes off of the girl, even if she wanted to, too excited from having figured out a way to explain herself without confusing Toph, “You are as brave as you are powerful. I am so enraptured by your talent. I’ve never really felt bad about not being a bender, but watching how you manipulate and move the very Earth itself makes me wish I had the skill to do it as well. By your standards of beauty, I believe that you are without a doubt, gorgeous.”

“Thanks, but that’s not what I meant…”

“Right… Well, I don’t know how much of this will make sense to someone who can’t exactly understand it, but you are really pretty. You have the most beautiful raven hair that almost glistens in the sunlight. Your eyes remind me of sea glass, misty green and cloudy. Everything about you is lovely.”

“Oh… Uhm… Thank you.”

The only sound between the girls was the hushed murmur of waves crashing against cliff walls and the distant cries of birds above them in the sky. The sun had begun to set behind them, leaving the sky a dusty lavender fading up into a deep blue, a sprinkling of stars beginning to shine and a pale full moon glowing faintly in the twilight. Suki kicked her legs over the edge, leaning back on her hands and soaking up the residual heat of the summer’s day that still radiated from the stone ground while Toph stayed a little farther from the edge so she could still “see” where everything and everyone was, hugging her legs to her chest with her chin resting on her knees. 

“Has Sokka ever spoken to you about his past relationships?” Suki finally broke the silence, her brow furrowed and eyes cast down at the far off waves.

“I don’t know about any girl other than you. You’re the only one since I joined the team who Sokka’s had a thing with. But then again, he and I don’t really  _ talk _ , so you’re asking the wrong person. Why? Is something wrong between you two?”

“Mm… I think he’s still in love with another girl. He won’t admit to it, but I can tell. He’s distant and he won’t look me in the eye without cracking a joke or flashing this sheepish grin. Something changed between meeting him on Kyoshi Island and now, and I think it’s because he still has feelings for someone else.”

“I can ask him, if you want. I can tell when people are lying, so you’d get a solid confirmation. It really wouldn’t be a big deal, I can do it now if you want me to-”

“No, no. It’s fine, really. Thank you, Toph, but if anyone’s going to ask him it should be me,” Suki groaned, letting her elbows fall so she was lying on her back with her legs still swinging over the edge, “Boys suck, Toph, I hope you know that you’re not missing anything profound or life changing.”

“What do you mean? I thought, ya know, as annoying and perpetually dimwitted they were, it was worth it. Not that I would know, I’ve never particularly found myself drawn to boys, but I figured once I found someone that makes me as happy as Aang makes Katara, things would work themselves out?”

“Katara and Aang aren’t a thing.”

“Uh huh… Who’s the human lie detector? Me. No matter what they say to cover up the yearning words and how perfectly normal it is that they’re always paired off together on teams, I can tell what’s really going on. They’re definitely a thing. It doesn’t take vision to know when two people are in love.”

“Can I ask you a question, then?”

“Sure thing, Fan Princess, what’s on your mind?”

“Am I in love with Sokka?” Suki’s voice wavered a bit when she asked, as she scooted away from the edge and to where the earthbender sat.

“I’m a lie detector, not a psychic. I’m sorry I can’t tell you what you’re feeling, I really am, but only you know how you feel. I can tell Aang and Katara are a thing because they  _ are _ but I have no idea how you actually feel about things.”

“I see… Thank you, anyway, Toph.”

An icy sea wind tore through the mountain ravine, howling between the rocky crags and sharp turns, causing the blind girl to cry out and lunge to where Suki sat, clinging desperately to her arm. The two stayed in that position for a moment before Toph shakily backed off, laughing awkwardly at herself until Suki wrapped her arm around the girl to pull her close again. It took a few moments for the earthbender to relax into the embrace, but was soon slumped against Suki, soaking up the warmth of the girl. The sun was just a pale orange sliver bleeding into the ocean’s horizon, any trace of pink in the sky now a faint purple, and fading into a deep midnight blue by the second. A sea of diamonds shone brightly against the velvet night, all illuminated by the ghostly full moon, whose gentle pearlescent light beamed melancholically against Serpent’s Pass, as though there was nothing her light could do to protect the flightless travelers.

“Hey, Toph? We should probably head back. It’s getting a bit dark, and I can almost guarantee that Katara has finished lecturing the boys on the importance of maintaining optimism in grim times.” Suki stood up, and reached her hand out to Toph who - seeming as she couldn’t say the offered help, did not take it - slowly got to her feet and brushed off the pebble that clung to her robes.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea. Katara might be a nag but she can cook, and I’m starving,” Toph breathed, reaching out into the air until her hands grasped the warrior’s arm, “Hey, uhm… Suki? Can I ask one more question? Just between us?”

Suki beamed, looking down at the girl on her arm and nodded even though she knew she couldn’t actually see it, “Of course! Anything at all!”

“Can… Can I kiss you?” Toph felt her cheeks burn from the request, and was happy that the warrior had said it was dark out lest she see how profusely she was blushing.

“What?” Suki was more surprised at the boldness of the other girl, having not expected the question.

“Nevermind. That was a bad question. Ignore me, or better yet just push me off the side of the cliff-”

Toph was cut off by the lips of the other girl pressed against hers. Her heart was pounding in her chest, unsure of what to do with her hands, let alone what she should do with her lips. Out of instinct, the earthbender gently parted her lips and mimicked best she could the same sort of open and closed, push and pull, movement on her own. A rush of adrenaline coursed through her small body when she could feel Suki’s hand on her arms, the warrior’s thumbs gently stroking the night chilled skin to warm it, though the twisting in her stomach caused Toph to pull away.

“Did I do something wrong?” Suki sounded worried, her hand still around the earthbender’s arm to keep her safe from the edge.

“Huh… That was… Interesting.”

Toph licked her lips, brow furrowed and her fists clenched. Being kissed had felt good, and for her first time she certainly could have gotten a worse experience, but it didn’t  _ feel _ right. Something in her gut was screaming at her that as nice - and to her, beautiful - Suki was, she wasn’t the right person to be sharing such moments with. In fact, Toph wondered if there would be any right person to share that moment with again. Perhaps she was just happy being by herself, without letting all of the other romance and love nonsense get in the way. Suki let her hands fall a bit, clasping the other girl’s hands in her own and taking a few drawn out steps towards where the campsite was.

“Will you be mad at me if I told you I never wanted to do that again with you?” Toph’s voice was unusually quiet, and she stood firmly still making the Suki stop short, “Don’t get me wrong, this has nothing to do with you as a person. I just think we’re better as friends…”

“I know, Toph. I feel the same way. Friends from now on?”

“And this is never brought up again?”

“Deal.”

Suki led Toph back to the campsite, both girls giggling to themselves at the entire thought of them kissing, and both universally grateful that the other felt the same way and that the friendship between the two was untarnished after the whole ordeal. Katara had not in fact finished her ramble on hope and optimism, with both Aang and Sokka propped up beside each other, half asleep and deafly nodding along to the speech. 

“...which is why your negative comments, Sokka, are detrimental to Aang’s chi and ability to enter the avatar state at will. Ah! Suki, Toph, welcome back to the most fun campsite on Serpent’s Pass! What took you two so long?”

“Just some girl bonding. I don’t want to kiss and tell.” Suki chuckled, giving Toph a gentle nudge with her elbow, who laughed under her breath though she was still feeling a lingering sense of embarrassment. 

“Aw, girl bonding? Wish I hadn’t missed out on that, but I was busy here.” Katara tossed a glare at her brother and definitely not boyfriend, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Next time, maybe give her an invitation to girl time. Please.” Sokka groaned, wandering over to Suki and pecking her on the cheek after giving Toph a light punch to the arm.

“Sokka? A word.” Toph stated, grabbing a fistful of the boy’s shirt and pulling him to a tucked away corner. 

Suki gave them a tired smile, before pulling her sleeping mat to where the earthbender’s tent was, curling up under her blanket after she had adjusted a bit. Katara and Aang tidied up dinner, and scooted their sleeping mats beside each other for “waterbending training reasons” though Suki now suspected it was so they could hold hands as they slept.

“Well? What’s up, Toph?” Sokka gave the girl a funny look, rubbing the back of his head.

“You have no idea how lucky you are. Don’t screw it up.”

“What? I have no idea what you mean?”

“Suki is kind, and intelligent, and so very sweet. She is beautiful. You have no idea how lucky you are to have her.” Toph’s voice was firm, but there was a softness in her face, her hand falling from the boy’s shirt.

“O-Okay, yeah, I got it. Don’t screw it up. Anything else you feel the need to lecture me on, because it seems like it’s gonna be that kind of night for me?”

“Nope. Just that. Nice talk, Boomerang.”

“Yeah, nice talk…”

Toph had walked away before Sokka could question anything, stepping over Katara and Aang’s sleeping bags as they scrambled to pull their hands apart. Suki smiled warmly at the girl, though she knew that the earthbender couldn’t see it. After standing for a moment to get a feel for the new sleeping arrangement, with a flick of her wrist and a dig of her heel, Toph dismantled her tent so that it was just her sleeping mat under the stars besides Suki’s. 

“Thought you might get lonely. Sokka couldn’t care less, because he’s been acting distant, but it’s a full moon and I thought you might want to hear what it looks like. Besides… It’s cold out tonight.” Suki lifted her blanket up as Toph scooted her mat to be flush against the warrior’s, and cozied up beside the other girl.

“Tell me about the moon.”

“Well, she’s very beautiful…” Suki began, happy to have deepened the friendship with the earthbender.

Whispered descriptions of what the moon was and how it reminded Suki of what the blind girl’s eyes looked like filled the night air, getting lost in the hushed lull of the waves far below crashing up against the stony cliffs of Serpent’s Pass. Toph stayed awake just long enough to smile when she learned that the physical moon itself was made from rock and wondered if she could bend it, though the girl soon fell asleep after, missing out on hearing of how some said that there were spirits tied to the pearl in the sky. Suki’s eyes were beginning to feel heavy when she heard the soft breathing of Toph fast asleep in her arms, and smiled, allowing sleep to embrace her as well. The full moon shone on in the sky, a shadowed cloak of stars and night wrapped around the silver orb, her spirit never waning in silent protection of the sleeping travelers until the sun’s golden fingers breached the horizon of the ocean.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll admit, this was a bit of a random idea, but it was a lot of fun to write and I needed to practice writing female characters in general, so this was the finished product.


End file.
